Reload
by Saesama
Summary: Part Three of my For Whom the Bell Tolls series. They made it back to Hollow Bastion, but what is waiting for them? And what is missing forever? (Warning: Shonen ai and Character death) CidxVincent


Finally, the end of the For Whom the Bell Tolls series.

Kingdom Hearts and all involved characters belong to Squaresoft and/or Disney. I make no money from doing this.

o o o

Cloud looked at Cid anxiously. The three of them stood before the library doors in Hollow Bastion's great main hall, and Cloud realized he was scared stiff. Beyond the door were three people he once knew as well as he knew himself, but nine years lay between the children they had been and the adults they were now. What would be the same, and what different? Had they spent years insane or had they clung to each other and their memories much tighter than he had? Would they know him? He remembered meeting Squ-Leon and, he thought, Yuffie, in the Colosseum, but he had been so close to completely lost at the time that the memory had the hazy quality of a dream. Would they see him and remember him?

Cid reached out to open the door and Cloud nearly screamed at him to stop, that it was too soon, that he needed time to prepare himself. But a hand dropped to his shoulder and _his_ voice echoed through his mind-

_(No, it's been long enough, it's time for you to embrace the past)_

-and Cid pushed the door open.

Three figures stood a short distance away, turning towards the door as it opened. "Guess what I found." Cid said, fighting a grin as he motioned at Cloud, who stood in the doorway. "Jus' floating around, waiting for someone to pick 'em up." The mechanic continued, losing the fight against his grin.

The three people stared in shock, then one broke off, approaching slowly. A memory overlapped Cloud's eyes and he saw a slender, curve less girl of twelve smiling up at him, her eyes so clear and green and hopeful that a person just had to smile at her, her voice like soft, clean bells, calling him her 'bodyguard' and laughing. The memory grew, her body gaining gentle curves beneath her dress, her face slimming and shaping into the beautiful young woman before him, her eyes wide in shock, looking beneath his bangs at his eyes. "...............Cloud?" She breathed.

Suddenly there was an exclamation, a shout, and Aerith's arms were wrapped around his waist, and he was aware of Yuffie latched around his neck, laughing and crying and his eyes met those the color of a stormy sky and a little half-smile he remembered so well and the faces before him doubled, trebled, and he realized that tears were falling down his cheeks and he didn't care because the others, even Squall, were crying too and it felt so damn _good._

Cid watched the happy reunion with a sad smile he was completely unaware of. Nine years, he realized, of surrogate fatherhood had just paid off, and then some, to see them all so happy. While he felt their joy, however, it was eclipsed by an incredible sorrow, deeper than any he'd ever know. Vincent should have been beside him, one arm around his waist, their heads leaning against each other, a slow, steady smile on his lips as they watched the scene together. Knowing this, and knowing that he'd never see the gunman again hurt deeper than any wound could hope to.

Feeling watched, Cid looked back to see Sephiroth watching him silently, his wing flexing slowly. Cid stepped back into the main hall, a small, brief smile crossing his face. "I'm gonna give them time to meet each other again." He said, his unconvincing even to his own ears.

Sephiroth nodded anyway. "Watch for Heartless." He warned simply. "They are still around. Cid fought a wince as he walked off, wondering why he'd never noticed how similar Sephiroth's voice was to Vincent's. _They're related,_ his mind argued distractedly. _Of course they'd be similar. Hell, you could even call him your step-son if you wanted._ He didn't want to. All he wanted was to get away from them all, away from his mind and memories and be alone in his grief. For nine long years he had kept himself going on the simple belief that, somewhere, Vincent was alive. Now, to know that he'd never be there again tore at him mercilessly.

Cid walked faster, his eyes unseeing. Memory swamped him as he went - Vincent's eyes, warm with silent laughter - his skin, pale and smooth and delicious - he stumbled, breaking into a run - his voice, as rich as velvet and warm with love - tears, blinding his eyes, scalding his soul - his hands found a door, knew the feel of a knob turning and he looked up with a strangled sob to see their room, the plush bed still made up neatly, the low bookcase where his books of blueprints argued for space with the novels Vincent had loved to read, their bedclothes spread over the edge of the bed by some long-gone servant, awaiting them to pull them on and climb into bed, eyes full of soft laughter and warm desire. Everything was coated in thick dust, undisturbed for nine years and Cid fell against the closed door, his knees no longer supporting him as he slid to the floor, his legs drawn up and his face buried in his arms as his shoulders shook with harsh sobs.

o o o

Light.

Pale starlight, but all around, like standing in a meteor-shower.

Cid looked up, blinking away at the dried tears in his eyes and stood, rubbing at his face. Pale, clean starlight was everywhere, even though his mind told him it was only the middle of the afternoon. He walked to the window, wondering at the luminescence of the very air around him, and pulled aside the drapes.

Despite the fact that the sun should still be shining strong, the sky was a solid void of blue-black velvet, streaked by a hundred-thousand tiny lights that were slowly approaching, growing larger every second. Dimly, Cid realized, he heard a sound like singing, and he hurriedly opened the window. The singing swam over him, no words but a hundred voices uplifted in a song of light and hope and joy and he watched in wonder as the first sparks touched the ground. Dead, bare earth sprang to life, a sweep of green so sudden it was near-impossible to credit. The island sparkled as the lights landed, then sank in, new life springing up where they touched. A majority landed over the city and the singing intensified, near-unbearable in it's beauty, and Cid's sharp eyes went wide as he saw figures moving in the city, too far away to be clear but too familiar to be mistaken. People, back in the city.

Those who had been taken by the darkness.

Cid ran from his room, jumping balustrades and stairs like a man half his age, heading ever for the lower levels. Tiny bits of light, like glowing dandelion seeds, danced in the air and he laughed even as he ran. He nearly collided with Leon as the young man left the library, and suddenly Aerith and Yuffie were around him, laughing and crying and telling him to look, to see. Cloud was there, and Sephiroth, urging them to the lower levels.

They went together, a deep, pure joy deep in their hearts, and found their way to the Chocobo stables. Although Cid would have sworn that the birds were gone, they were there again, tossing their yellow heads in the odd light and calling out their approval. None of them bothered with tack and saddles, simply swung up onto the backs of the birds, and Cloud kicked the stable door open and they ran for the city, whooping in unfettered delight. The tiny lights still danced in the air, settling on their skin and melting like snow-flakes. It settled on their heads, wreathing them in crowns of soft light, and glistened in the feathers of their birds. All around them, the glorious singing was added to by the joyful shouts of the city's people.

Then they were in the city, and the people were looking around in wonder or embracing each other or simply staring at the sky. They found the 7th Heaven and dismounted, and suddenly Tifa was there, shapely and curved and embracing Aerith and Yuffie, and Zell was slapping Leon on the back, all sparkling blue eyes and blond hair and dark curls of tattoo. Nanaki and Reeve were there with joyful shouts, sleek and cat-smooth, then they were gone again, yelling goodbye, that their home was coming back. Cloud's mother, smiling and weeping, Barrett, tall and strong and laughing, a dozen others, two dozen, three, too many to count, all faces they knew and lost and had found again.

Then the questions started and Cloud raised his voice and drew a crowd around them, and Leon and Yuffie and Aerith spoke, and told everyone what Ansem had done, what King Mickey had ordered, what Sora had done. When they fell silent Sephiroth picked up the tale, telling them all as they listened, spellbound, what had happened beyond Hollow Bastion, in the dark place called the End of Worlds, and what had happened to Sora and Ansem and King Mickey and the boy named Riku far off in the blackness of Kingdom Hearts. No one dared ask him how he knew all of this, mainly out of fear of what he might answer.

And then he was done speaking and people were sorting themselves out and Leon was standing with his parents, and Yuffie with her father, and Aerith and Cloud with their mother's and Cid felt another pang of regret. He turned and saw Sephiroth watching him, with a knowing smile. The general moved towards him through the people and half-embraced him, whispering into his ear, "Go to him, he is waiting."

"Cid!" He turned to see Tifa approaching with a smile. "Come on, Cid, Sephiroth, everyone's waiting for you two." The others stood behind her, urging them to join him. Sephiroth walked over to near where Cloud was standing, then turned and looked back at him.

Cid shook his head and walked back to where his Chocobo had taken cover from the crowds. "Sorry," He called out. "But Vincent's waiting for me, and I've kept him waiting long enough." He mounted and turned to look at them all, his surrogate children and his friends long lost. "Love you guys!" He yelled, then goaded his mount quick back to the castle.

Tifa looked at Cloud, questioningly. "But why didn't Vincent come down with you guys?" She asked.

Cloud looked at Cid's retreating form as the blue-black sky above disappeared into late-afternoon blue. "Vincent's dead." He said softly. "He didn't come back at all."

"NO!" Leon shouted. He looked around desperately. "He's going to kill himself!" He said hurriedly. "We have to stop him."

"No." Everyone turned to look at Sephiroth. The general shook his head. "Let him go. He is right. He has waited far too long to find Vincent again. We have no right to stop him because we would miss him. He misses Vincent even more."

Yuffie burst into tears. "B-but what are we going to do without him?" She asked, her voice quavering.

"Live." Sephiroth replied. "And remember."

o o o

Cid leaned against the stone wall, relishing the rush of nicotine through his system, delivered by a cigarette well over ten years old. He had stopped smoking for Vincent, but had kept a pack still in one of his drawers, and it had still been there when he had gotten back. He smoked the cigarette to the filter and flicked the butt away, his eyes ever on the sky above. "Just wait for me, Vince." He whispered, then stood straight. Distantly, he noted the sounds of the Rising Falls, thundering a hundred feet below the balcony he stood on. His eyes turned briefly from the sky to the balcony ahead, judging the distance. He tensed, hesitated a bare second, then started to run. He picked up speed, racing across the balcony, then with one smooth effort, he stepped up onto the balcony railing and launched himself into open space.

For a miraculous moment, he was weightless, soaring, the whistling wind in his ears masking the fast-approaching roar of the Falls below.

_Coming for you, Vince,_he thought, closing his eyes.

The impact killed him instantly.

He was smiling.

o o o

Warmth surrounded him, condensing into gentle fingers and soft skin. He opened his eyes and looked up into pure red eyes and laughed, embracing his lover once again.

o o o

Deep within the strange waters of the Falls, two chains tangled around each other, their charms buffeted by the wild currents. Eventually, they fell, the arms and wings and chains of the ankh's winding around each other to create not two ankhs but one heart of metal and stone. The trinket sank to the bottom of the deep waters, resting on the turbulent bottom. An errant wave pushed a layer of sand over it, then another and another, burying it and keeping it safe for eternity.

o o o

9-20-04


End file.
